London to Australia

26 Countries over 6 months really exploring as we go, travel the Silk road, go to Everest Base Camp, Tibet, Lhasa, Nepal and northern India, tropical islands, wild jungles, visit fascinating local people, experience amazing food and so we could go on... This trip will take you two thirds of the way around the world, going to places that only a lucky few have ever explored.

Details of Upcoming Expeditions

** Note that the expedition in 2014 will start in Istanbul, Turkey, and finish in Singapore. Full details of the exciting new route coming to the website soon, or please email us for a sneak preview!

Please remember, due to the nature of these expeditions they book up a long time in advance, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Overview

Join Odyssey Overland for the adventure of a lifetime as we drive overland from London to Australia. Our 6-month expedition takes you to 26 countries and gives you the opportunity to explore and experience parts of the world that others have never even heard of, let alone been to! From Europe, to the Silk Road and Central Asia, China and Tibet, Nepal and India, South-East Asia and finally to Darwin, Australia, this trip offers so much. This is the ultimate holiday, career break or gap year adventure!

Our expedition departs from the UK and then visits France, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.

Click here to enlarge map

HIGHLIGHTS

It is hard to narrow down a list of highlights for our expedition, but here is our attempt! The Route Plan has more detail, a week-by-week itinerary and some amazing photos taken by expedition members to whet your appetite…

• Cologne with its Dom Cathedral.

• Prague and the Czech Republic.

• Stunning Budapest with its great buildings and hot baths.

• Transylvania, land of gypsies and Dracula's castle.

• Bucharest and its sad past but vibrant life today.

• The green rolling hills of Bulgaria and some funky little villages en route.

• Historic Istanbul and the crazy landscapes of Goreme in Cappadocia. Our local guide in Goreme shows us it all.

• Fantastic Georgia, friendly people, the home of wine, amazing mountains, great trekking with lots of Christian history.

• Explore Tbilisi the Georgian capital.

• Take a dip in the Black Sea.

• Checkout the Stalin Museum in Gori, his birthplace.

• Azerbaijan where the oil oozes out of the soil as well as ancient Silk Road caravanserais and the funky city of Baku. Visit the Maiden’s Tower and the Shirvan Shakh Palace.

• Cross the Caspian Sea, an adventure in itself!

• Turkmenistan – totally wacky. Visit the Darvaza Gas Crater and explore the surreal Ashgabat.

• Cross the Karakum Desert.

• Explore the ancient Silk Road cities of Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara.

• Stay alongside local families in Yurts and in local homestays and camp out as we get to know the local people and their customs.

• Host a village party.

• Eat amazing food; we will live the countries through their food and drink. From a shashlyk (meat roasted on skewers over hot coals) in Uzbekistan to one of the many fiery Sichuan dishes in this amazing province of China, Thai Curries, Singapore Crab... the culinary opportunities are endless.

• Visit the stunning lakes of Song Kol and Issyk-kul in Kyrgyzstan.

• Through the Tian Shan Mountains and over the Torugart pass into China. Closed to most overland travellers, we get special permission to enter.

• Visit the town of Kashgar with its amazing Silk Road history as well as its place in the Great Game played between Britain and the Russia.

• Visit the impressive Mogao Caves in Dunhuang with their gigantic sitting Buddhas.

• Visit a section of the Great Wall from the Han Dynasty.

• Visit Turpan the second lowest point on earth at 152m below sea level.

• The magical and holy Lhasa with the Potala Palace. Visit the Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka Palace, as well as the Sera and Drepsung Monasteries.

• Tibet and Everest Base Camp and the high roads through the Himalayas.

• High altitude mountain lakes, horse riding and trekking.

• Buddhist sites and jaw-dropping palaces.

• Adventure activities galore in the north of Nepal - hiking, bungee jumping, canyoning.

• Kathmandu, an iconic city with plenty to explore.

• Experience the colonial past of India as we head up into the highlands as they did in the days of the Raj.

• The sights, sounds and smells of crazy Calcutta (Kolkata), love it or hate it, this is what India is all about.

• Luang Prabang, Angkor Wat and Siem Reap in Laos and Cambodia.

• Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and the Mekong Delta.

• Top diving and unspoilt beaches, you can visit the islands of Ko Phangan, Ko Sumui, Ko Tao and Pulau Perhentian Besar.

• The cosmopolitan cities of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

• Darwin, a stone's throw away from the outback, and the gateway to Australia…

This is only just scratching the surface of all the amazing things we will see and experience as we travel along this incredible route.

TRANSPORT

A custom-built Mercedes Benz overland truck, designed especially for this expedition will be our home whilst on the road until we reach Calcutta, when we will hop on a short flight across to Bangkok in Thailand and use predominantly private hired transport and the occasional train or luxury coach in south-east Asia.

The truck gives us the flexibility to get off the beaten track and head into the wilds of countries like Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. For more information about the truck and other equipment that we carry, please see the Our Trucks page.

But you won’t just be travelling on the truck, buses and trains – along the way we use many other forms of transport taking us to those more inaccessible areas required to get us to see as much as possible while en route. It might be camels in the deserts (we will cross two major ones), a local rickshaw or tuk tuk, an old jeep to get us up some small mountain track, or down the back streets of some ancient Silk Road city. Even an old Russian ferry to cross the Caspian Sea! It's all an adventure and as an expedition member you can do it all and be involved in every stage. The more you are involved, the more you will enjoy it!

FOOD & ACCOMMODATION

We camp about 35% of the time during our expedition to Australia, with the remaining time spent in small local-run hotels or guesthouses. Don’t worry if you haven’t camped a lot in the past, we do it in style with large, easy-to-erect tents, comfy camp chairs, and amazing food cooked over an open fire or the gas cooker using fresh ingredients from the markets we visit along the way. Most of our ex-expedition members rate camping as a highlight of the trip as it really allows us to get off the beaten track, away from the crowds (other than curious locals!), and to experience some breathtaking scenery – from snow capped peaks to mud volcanoes, beautiful mountain streams to desert lakes – and everything in between!

Remember that we run small groups (up to 22), with a focus on really exploring all the amazing places we will pass through on this epic 6-month journey. Our itinerary allows enough time to see all the incredible sights along the way, as well as time to chill out and relax. We have been there and done it and have the knowledge and skills to make this the trip of your lifetime, and we are there to give you as much or as little help as you want along the way. This is a traveller’s journey, no packaged holiday!

So take the plunge, do your research and book onto the expedition of a lifetime. Due to the nature of these expeditions, they do book up a long way in advance, so if you are considering it, don’t delay, and get in touch with us.

Click here to get details of how to book, and let the adventures begin!

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Want to know more?

Click on the links below to find out everything you need to know about this epic expedition:

• Overview and highlights
• Weekly route plan
• Optional activities
• Food & accommodation
• Pre-trip planning
• Costs & booking